


The world (begins) with you

by Ryuen



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe - The World Ends With You, Featuring bi disaster Sora, Fluff, Kh3 secret ending, Lots of hugs and some crying, M/M, Mentions of Kairi - Freeform, Post-Kingdom Hearts III, Riku's pov mostly, Spoilers - Kingdom Hearts III, The world ends with you au, and pining since forever Riku, canon AU, sequel to kh3, some twewy characters and enemies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-10-22 07:00:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17658158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ryuen/pseuds/Ryuen
Summary: BIGGEST SPOILERS FOR KH3!Don't read further if you haven't finished it. Based on the kingdom hearts 3's secret ending: Sora and Riku wake up in Shibuya, and they have to play the Reaper's game to go back home.Riku woke up with a jolt. Something strange had happened. He... could feel it.But as soon as he got up, he realized he wasn't home anymore. He was surrounded by buildings, tall and black as the night and shining with little lights as the stars that were twinkling up above him.His heart told him to look, to search. Someone needed him. And so he followed it.(Basically, someone had to make the epic Soriku TWEWY canonish au, so I took the quest in my hands)





	The world (begins) with you

**Author's Note:**

> So I haven't written fanfiction in so many years what the- my love for kh is too powerful. I wrote this in a few hours and really want to continue it!  
> The events loosely follow twewy's story.  
> English is not my first language, this is not beta'd and I'm not the best writer. but honestly? I had to write this because I love Sora and Riku so much  
> (Also, fuck you Nomura. But only a little. The secret ending rules but if the next game won't be like this, I'll be sad)
> 
> Oh, I love hugs and fluff so there'll be both :D  
> Enjoy and let me know how to improve!

Slowly, Sora regained consciousness. He felt confused, and it took him a while before he could open his eyes.  
The memories were fuzzy but he recollected saving Kairi... and then fading away.  
Wait...  
That was a good moment to open his eyes. Lights from the world around him were reflected in a puddle on the road. There were so many colors, like red blue green and black.  
He stood up slowly. Grunting, he looked around and realized _"This is a city. What is going on?"_  
Suddenly he felt something, heavy, in his chest, in his heart. It was familiar, like a string being pulled.  
He looked up, with the feeling that he wasn't dead, nor alone anymore.

___

Riku had many contrasting feelings, since he last saw Sora.  
On one hand, he saw this development coming. He really did.  
Sora had a crush on Kairi for so long that he had known, deep down, that maybe he never stood a chance. But at the same time, Sora himself had told him that he didn't know what he felt- Kairi was never with them and at this point it was true: whenever Sora brought her back, she would disappear again. It was heartbreaking for more than one reason. Sora liked a memory, a phantom, she grew up so much since they last saw her, he liked the tought of being with her but at the same time, his feeling had morphed into the close affection that unites best friends. Once he had told Riku, "I love her but... I love you in the same way"  
That was a very Sora thing to say, but after the Keyblade Graveyard events, its meaning seemed to be lost somewhere he couldn't reach.

At the fated moment, what could Riku do but put his trust on Sora and let him go? Yet, that didn't put his heart at ease.  
The hero's deep blue eyes couldn't hide a hint of desperation, of knowing that something wasn't adding up. Riku had come to the conclusion that, just as the King said, maybe Sora wouldn't come back- because he had overdone it and used the power of waking one too many times.  
But what could he do really? Sora's mind was made up, and Riku really needed to let him be. He had to. Yet,

That still didn't stop the hurt.  
When he saw him back with Kairi, the rush of happiness and then. The hurt when he just vanished. The hurt when Kairi curled up on herself and he couldn't think anymore.  
Sora...

___

Riku woke up with a jolt. Something strange had happened. He... could feel it.  
But as soon as he got up, he realized he wasn't home anymore. He was surrounded by buildings, tall and black as the night and shining with little lights as the stars twinkling up above him.

His heart told him to look, to search. Someone needed him. And so he followed it.

In the distance, he saw a blur that definitely looked like a person. _"Oh finally, another soul here"_  
As he got closer, he realised that it was no stranger. With excitment, he made out the spiky hair, the black and red outfit and the familiar silhouette. Since he was looking up, the lights from this strange world danced around his skin and reflected in a blur of colors, making it look like a vision straight out of a dream.  
But that was really...  
"Sora?"  
The boy turned and a long lost smile shined bright, as he ran to meet him.

 

"Riku! It's really you! I'm so glad!" Sora said as he launched himself on him, arms linking on the back of his head.  
Thankfully, Riku was strong enough to support them both. "Me too" he said, and the _you have no idea how happy I am and how much I missed you_ hung untold but unmissable in the tone of his voice. "Sora, you're safe" Those words were spoken gently, while his eyes softened and he took a few seconds to marvel at the boy that was so close to him, and at the fact that this was not a dream. Because how could it be, when his heart was this full of feelings and his arms could circle around the smaller boys' waist to hug him back. He could feel his own heart beating fast, fast.  
The brunette raised his head just enough to see the icy shade of skyblue in the other's eyes. As beautiful as ever. "Hey Riku. Do you have any idea of what is going on?"  
"I wish I did"  
"I'm quite sure we're in Shibuya" Sora said while looking around, confused "because of that big building with 104. Neku had told me about it"  
Riku did a double take at that. "Wait, Neku? You mean... oh"  
"Yeah. I would like to say this is another peaceful world visiting but I'm afraid... did Joshua ever tell you? About the game that took place here?"  
Riku looked at those blue eyes which were so full and so unsure, and thought he would do anything to save him. "No, he only told me bits and pieces..."  
"Figured so. He liked to speak in riddles" a soft laugh escaped his lips and made Riku smile.  
"But as far as I remember... it's a game of life and death" Sora became serious and continued "The players have to survive a week and complete each day's missions, only then they can be saved, otherwise they're erased from existence"  
That was... scary and definitely not a vacation. "But, why should we be here?"  
"Riku... I" Sora couldn't meet his eyes for a moment. When he did, he could see his frown "I think I died"

 

Riku was surprised, but probably not as much as one should be. He had a feeling that would have been the case, but he really wished Sora had been more careful.  
When the two looked up and saw the sky looked like it was about to break down and rain, they took cover under one of the skyscrapers.  
Sora took his hand and refused to let go. It was something he used to do as a child when he was scared, so Riku only squeezed back without questioning it.  
They sat down, hands intertwined, and Sora started to tell him what he knew about this 'game'.  
Trying to wrap his head around it, Riku listed:  
"So we have to do a mission, each day, to save ourselves. The reward would be to go back home. Easy enough, but are we really playing it?"  
Sora took out his gummiphone and said, showing Riku a text "I'm pretty sure we do, judging by this"  
It read:  
Reach the statue that makes people encounter. You have 60 minutes. Fail and you'll be erased.  
That was definitive proof alright.  
"And... this" Sora raised the palm of his right hand -the free one- and indeed there it was, a timer ticking down each second. They only had 40 minutes left.  
Riku couldn't help but check how he had nothing. No timer, no message.  
But that would mean...

Sora interrupted his toughts by wondering aloud "I do think it makes sense for me to be here and play. But... Riku, why are you here?" Sora looked at him and then took both of his hands before exclaiming worriedly "You're not dead are you?".  
Riku was bothered by the same question so he couldn't aswer with anything but a "I don't think so, no"  
He tought back but couldn't recall the last thing he did before waking up here. Nothing at all.  
But he couldn't stand those blue eyes looking like that so he said with finality "I'm not really sure what is going on but, Sora. We're in this together and I'll help you out however I can"  
Sora's face light up with a smile, but his eyes were not upward and, actually, he could see them water up. But then the brunette just launched himself to hug Riku muttering soft thank yous.  
Riku's feeling had been all over the place for the past hour but he decided to ignore them and just go with the moment and hug him back. If destiny or whatever wanted him to be here and help the light of his life, like hell he wouldn't do it.  
They sat like that for a while, in a kinda awkward position. Then Riku got the matters on his hands and said "So, let's go. We need to finish this mission right? Everyone's missing you, let's hurry back home"  
Sora's face was always a wonder because it could light up so much after a moment of uncertainty, and all the colours would reflect on it and make him look beautiful.  
Clearing some fugitive tears, Sora nodded with a vigorous "Okay, Riku, let's go!"

 

They went around for a while, looking for a statue. It was a generic quest but failing was not an option. So they tried their best.  
"Hey Riku" the younger of the two said at a certain point, grabbing his friend's attention. "How is everyone at home?"  
A sad smile from Riku "We all missed you and everyone felt defeated when you disappeared."  
Sora's face fell so Riku continued "but they understand and are trying to make do. Ven, Terra and Aqua went back to their world, while Axel Roxas and Xion are staying at Cid's tower, with Kairi and me. She was really sad but she... understood, I guess"  
Sora's face was indecipherable for a few seconds. "How long has it been? Since the final battle"  
"A month" _31 days to be exact_ he thought but didn't say it, it's not like he was keeping count. (He was).  
"Huh... did you two go back to a normal life?"  
Riku couldn't help but laugh a little "What even is normal? Kairi decided she would go back home, at the islands. I..." He had no clue what he wanted to do now. He felt like had taken a decision but he couldn't remember it.  
"What about you?" Sora was pondering, and looked up at him with heavy eyes.  
"I'm... not sure" is all Riku could answer. "I had hoped that- that you were safe but I didn't know it could actually happen and-"  
There was a sad smile on Sora's face when he was able to look at it. It was not an expression that suited the energetic boy.  
He exchanged one of his own before starting to walk again- apparently, they had stopped. He was about to say something along the line of _"let's go before we lose our chance"_ when Sora called him.  
He turned around and saw the focused look the brunette sported. "I need to talk with you. About a thing"  
"I'm listening" he said while crossing his arms, curious.  
Sora opened his mouth a few times, crearly rephrasing what he wanted to say. He looked at his hand, the red "25" hurting his eyes. "Nevermind. I'll tell you once we finish the mission?"  
"Sure thing"

After some more walking and exploring, they found a statue in the middle of a little park. In the middle of bushes and trees, stood a marble figure on top of a pedestal. "Maybe this is it?" Sora said with hope.  
As they tried to get closer, suddenly a monster appeared. It looked like a wolf, but with sharper edges, Sora would say. Its fur was white and green, and its growl meant that it wasn't friendly.  
"Is that a heartless?" Riku didn't wait for an answer but tried to summon his keyblade - he was relieved to see it appear. He rushed to attack, but none of his hits seemed to have an effect.  
He took a step back only to relize that Sora had been in trouble: he was looking at his hand like it had changed shape. "Riku! I can't... I can't summon my keyblade!?" There was desperation in his voice.  
"What!?" That was a problem. Riku stood in front of him and figured he'd have to protect the both of them. "Are you sure? Stand back then"  
After a few seconds, Sora exclaimed "Ah wait! Neku told me that he had needed a partner to fight... Riku, we should form a pact"  
"I have no clue what you're talking about but sure?" Riku said with a hint of sarcasm- or maybe it was exasperation.  
Sora cheered when a white light enfolded them. It had a twinkle of green and a light from their hearts sparkled, warming both of them up with hope.  
Riku felt pain in his hand, and only then did he see the countdown appearing. This is it, he was playing the game too now.

When the light vanished, Sora found a few pins on his hands. Two were black with a skull, one had a strange design that looked like stylized flames.  
While he examined them, Riku parried an attack from the wolf and answered with an hit.  
The hollow 'wonk' that followed filled him with relief- it worked!  
So he kept going- woth his expertise, just a few more hits and the wolf disappeared, whimpering.  
"Way to go Riku! Thanks!" Sora cheered while half hugging him on one side, one arm flinged around his neck.  
A sigh escaped Riku's lips, while the adrenaline from the battle left him. When he found his composure, he asked "Think this is the statue?"  
Sora examined it closer and saw that it was a marble dog. It had a petite stature but it was looking quite regal, just like a wolf. There was a sign but he couldn't understand the alphabet. "Huh I can't read this tab..."  
But when he touched the statue, he felt something tickle his hand and saw that the timer had stopped.  
"We did it!" Sora cheered, with a bright smile that could light up the entire world.

___

“Hey Riku, how do you think this works?” Sora asked while examining the mysterious pin.  
He took a step closer to him to check it out. “Why “work"? Isn't it a pin?”  
“Maybe it's magic! Like our accessories. You never know"  
Riku was about to make a snarky remark but he was interrupted by the sound of clapping.  
He took his keyblade right out and stood on guard. _How is it possible, this guy just appeared out of nowhere!_  
A man was standing before them- he had black hair, tiny glasses and a formal outfit- even if the first buttons of his shirt were wide open. “Bravo! That was some sword fighting.”.  
Riku put an arm in front of Sora and growled “Who are you and what do you want?”  
With a smirk, the man looked down from his glasses. “Relax, I'm just an overseer, let's say. I make sure the game is played by the rules"  
“And?” Sora was suspecting him- that's not a good sign.  
“Nothing. Just wanted to make sure- do you know how to use pins?”  
Riku's glare must have answered for him.  
Laughing mystery man said “Guessed so. You have to equip them and then experiment- they can be a huge help while fighting Noises.  
Listen up, you two look like a good pair. I gotta tell you that the only way to survive here is to trust your partner- to get in sync. For that, you need to open up and tell each other exactly what you're feeling. No secrets"  
Riku thougt he heard a whimpering noise behind him but his friend said a very not convinced “Thanks for the tips”  
Another smile and the man disappeared just as he had arrived- a huff of dark smoke left behind.  
Sora put an hand on Riku's shoulder, feeling the tension below it. “Hey. I think we need a safe place to relax"  
Nodding, he let him lead the way to a bench in what looked like an undeground tunnel. There were many signs with an "M" and various, foreign words. Flopping down with a sigh, they sat in silence for a while.  
  
Sora broke the silence with a dejected “What a wild day". Head thrown back, Riku made an affirming noise before reaching to poke him in the closest place he could- the cheek apparently.  
“Yeah but, heck, Sora. Am I happy to see you again safe and sound"  
The both laughed at that. But Sora’s smile clouded over and he started “I know you must have been worried. Probably desperate too" He didn't need to check to know that he wasn't really wrong “I'm glad to know everyone's safe. But I need to talk to you... it's about Kairi"  
Riku made a clear “o" with his mouth- “Didn't expect that. What is it?”  
“She's... changed a lot. And... I feel like we don't really know each other as much as we used to, does that make sense? Unlike what happened with you and me, we hadn't seen her for what, years.”  
Riku frowned and answered with a honest “Yeah, I think so too. I mean we're still friends and she's our Kairi but...”  
“Something shifted, right?” Sora finished for him. And then, with another sad smile “I knew you’d understand. When... when we lost her at the final battle, I wasn't certain of my feelings. But I knew I was the only one who could rescue her so I don't regret anything. There's nothing I wouldn't do to save a friend.  
But when I reached her, we talked about it and she seemed to understand. I didn't exactly reject her but... I didn't feel like starting a relationship was the right thing.”  
The brunette was having trouble getting this into words so Riku put a reassuring hand on his shoulder “That's rough".  
There was a sniff and a teary-eyed Sora turned and pressed his head on Riku's shoulder. A muffled “I’m just so glad that you're the one who's here with me"  
Riku put an arm around him and let him think a bit more, while at the same time letting his mind wandered too.  
  
It was not the first time that Sora seeked him to vent like this- mostly to talk about his confusion, or his fears. It was a nice thing they had, like soldiers in a battle field, sharing everything and understanding it all.  
He sadly felt the same way with Kairi- being apart for that long made him think that he didn't know the grown-up Kairi, but just the imagination of it. She became more closed off herself and it was sad- he made a mental note to try and open up more with her.  
He was truly happy for his friends when he saw them get together- but it was a little taxing because, well, he loved them dearly too. And...  
Sora was his most important friend and he was obviously cheering for him, everywhere and everytime. Even so, his feeling were a bit on the way. He had realized a long time ago that he never wanted to leave Sora's side, ever. There was a pure bond of love there, but Riku himself wouldn't have been able to say what kind. It wasn't brotherly, it wasn't just friendly, it was closer to family. That's no surprise, since Sora was his home... but since the latest events, he was pretty sure it was one-sided so he had no idea when or if he was ever gonna tell.  
With a sigh, Riku shaked off those thoughts and saw that the boy in question had his eyes closed. “Hey are you asleep?”  
“Nope" came a soft answer, with a popped o. He raised his head and proceeded “Okay so let me finish. This was uh- all to tell you that Kairi and me kinda never got together? And. That. I miss the days we were on the islands, having fun everyday”  
A crestfallen look was taking over so Riku hurried to answer “I do too, but c'mon. All this fighting will be over soon, and we’ll recreate a bit of that peace, back home" It seemed to work because slowly Sora's smile became blinding.  
“Thank you, Riku! ...You're amazing you know that? I always feel better and stronger when you're with me.”  
Said Riku was speechless at that and desperately trying to hide the blush that was creeping on his face. He failed, considering the crystalline laughter of his friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This does need some more polishment- but I needed to get it out of my system.  
> Sorry for all the repetitions too, I'm working on it.  
> Also, the last part was supposed to be in the next chapter but who am I to make you wait. (Next chaps will be shorter, tho). (...I cry thinking about how badly the island trio was treated in kh3)  
> 


End file.
